Changeable display device



Dec. 29, 1931. s. LONG CHANGEABLE DISPLAY. DEVICE 5 Shets-Sheet Filed April 1950 Inveni'or Sidney LLo ng.

By M1 flzfornegs.

Dec. 29, 1931. s, LONG 1,838,774

CHANGEABLE DISPLAY DEVICE Filed April 24, 1950 5 sheets-sheet 2 In vent-or: z'a ney LLonq.

5 waw WW1? for-neg)".

Dec. 29, 1931. 5, LONG 1,838,774

CHANGEABLE DISPLAY DEVICE Filed A il 24, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I J'a/neyZTlQ-ongi y if rneqs.

Patented Dec. 29, 1931 SIDNEY L. LONG, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA CHANGEAIBLE DISPLAY nnvron Application filed April 24, 1930. Serial No. 446,857.

My invention relates to changeable display devices. One of the particular objects of the invention is to provide a device in which the carrier is provided with the plurality of display objects capable of individual movement which are given their individual movement in succession by gravity when each object comes into position for observation during a period of rest of the carrier. *Another object is to provide for the objects being restored to operative or original position successively when they have been moved away from the observation place;

- Thefull objects-and advantages of my invention will appear .in connection with the detailed description thereof, and the novel features of my inventive idea will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate some of the forms in which my inven tion may be embodied,- v

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of one form of the device. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are yiews in vertical section on the line 22 of drawings, the numeral 10 designates a sup- :port to the front of'which is secured a vertical plate 12 containing a slot14 cut in its upper portion. Carried by the support 10 is a motor 16 secured to whose shaft is a gear 18 meshing with a gear 20 as shown in Fig. 7. The gear 20 is securedto a shaft 22 rotatably mounted in bearings 24 and 26 as shown in Fig. 6. Ablock 28 is loosely mounted on the shaft 22, this block in the form shown being octagonal. A plate 80is secured to the rear of theblock 28 by screw bolts 32. A plurality of pins 34 extend out from the rear face of the plate 80, these pins being equally.

spaced from each other and extending around inside of the. periphery of the plate. In the form shown, these pins are eight in number, to correspond with the eight faces of the block 28. The a block 28 and the plate 30 constitute a carrier, and except for conveniencein manufacture might be madein one piece. Between this carrier and the bearing 24, a collar 36 is secured to the shaft 22 while a disk 38 is secured to this collar. A plurality of equally spaced cam lugs 40 extend'out from the periphery of the disk 38, there being eight of these lugs in the form shown and it being noted that these lugs are at slightly greater distances from the center of rotation than the pins 34 are. A proj ection 42 extends up. from the bearing24 and carries a forwardly extending pin 44 as shown in Fig. 7 to which the upper e'ndof a coiled spring 46 is attached as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The lower end of the spring 46 is secured I to one arm of a lever 48 which is intermediately mounted ona pivot 50 extending for wardly from the projection 42. The other arm of the lever 48 carries a lateral projection 52 adapted to be engaged by the lugs 40 as will be understood from Fig. 3 while the end of this arm is constructed in the form of a wedge 54 adjacent which this arm has a recess 56 adapted to receive the pins 34 insuccession. The effect of the spring 46 is to cause the lever to swing so that the arm thereof carrying the recess 56 moves. downwardly to permit a pin 34 to move into this recess. A stop pin 58 extends forwardly from the projection 42 and limits the downis attached, the other end of this spring being attached to a pin 64 carried by the plate 30. .The projection is adapted for movement between two spaced pins 66 and 68 extending rearwardly from the plate 30. Each of the faces of the block 28 carries a display object such as a toy, these toys being displayed in successionthrough the slot 14 as will be understood'fromFig/1. In the form, of invention shown, each toy consists of a standard 70 around which 'thereisa helical thread 7 2, one end of the standard being secured to a base 78 which in turn is'secured to a face 1 will now be apparent.

70 in the manner set forth in my prior application Serial Number 381,832 filed July 29, 1929. The primary rider 742 contains a hole, the diameter of which is slightly less than that of the thread 72 but is slightly greater than that of the standard 70 whereby this rider moves freely with relation to the standard and may have a reciprocating movement'but at the same time is restrained by the thread so as to be given thereby a movement of rotation as it moves downwardly by gravity. The rider 76 contains a hole, the diameter of which is greater than that of the thread 7 2 so that the movement of this rider is not affected by the thread. The two ri lers are separated by spacer elements 78 and 80 freely movable upon the thread. The rider 7 6 is provided with openings which receive toyfigures or dolls 82 preferably made of hollow celluloid, these dolls being held for comparatively slight movement in the openings. The dolls are of such length that their feet do not quite reach the primary rider 74 when the riders extend at right angles to the standard 70. hen the standard is in upright position as shown in Fig. l, the rider 74 will gravitate downwardly with a combined oscillating and rotating movement thereby alternately lifting the dolls and causing them to have a dancing movement.

The operation of the form of the device thus far described will now be obvious. The motor 16 drives the shaft 22 and the disk 88 with a continuous motion in the direction of the arrow A shown in Figs. 1 to 5. Fig. 2 shows the position of the parts when a standard 70 is in the upright position of Fig. 1, it being understood that tl e carrier 28-3O is held stationary on account of one of the pins 34 being in the recess 56 of the lever 48. As the disk 38 rotates from the position of Fig. 2 into that of Fig. 3. the spring 62, one of whose ends is attached to the projection 60 and the other end of which is attached to the carrier, is stretched. Also, one of the cam lugs 40 engages the projection 52 of the lever 48 and lifts the lower arm thereof so that the pin 34 secured to the carrier is released from the recess 56 of the lever. The tendency of the stretched spring 62 is to give the carrier a movement of rotation in clockwise direction viewed in Fig. 3. However, if the full action of the spring were immediately permitted, it would be liable to rotate the carrier more than one step since time enough would not be given for the cam lug 40 to move out from under the projection 52 and allow the lower end of the lever 48 to drop. The purpose of the wedge fi l As soon as the carrier 28-30 has made a slight movement from the full line position into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, the pin 3% has moved into the position 34 and come into engagement with the inclined surface of the member 54. The cam lug 40 has by this time moved from under the projection 54 of the lever 48 and the tension of the spring 4-6 is suflicient to hold the inclined member 54 in engagement with the pin 34 in its position 3 to prevent the stretched spring 62 from pulling the carrier forward in clockwise direction. However, as the projection continues to rotate in clockwise direction, it soon comes into engagement with the pin 68 which at this time occupies the position indicated at 68 in 3. The rotation of the projection 60 now forces the pin 34 to sweep along the inclined member 54 into the position shown in 4 where it is ready to move from under the point of said inclined memher. As soon as it does this, the stiff spring 46 very quickly pulls down the lower arm of the lever 48 so that the recess 56 is in position to receive the next pin 34, it being understood that the stretched spring 62 pulls the carrier 2830 from the position of Fig. 4 into that of Fig. so that one rotative step of the carrier is completed. This brings the next standard and the display objects carried thereby into position for observation through the slot 14. The provision of the lever 48 with the slot 56 constitutes a positive lock for the carrier while the provision of the inclined member 54 which is held down wardly by the spring 46 constitutes a releasable lock and permits the engagement of the projection 60 with the pin 68 to force the pin 34-. from engagement with the inclined member 54. An important feature of the invention will now be apparent. The period of rest of the standard 70 in upright position is sufiicient for the figures 82 to gravitate from top to bottom of the standard so that when the standard moves toward the left as viewed in 1, the figures 82 are at the bottom of the standard. Then the standard has been moved around into its vertically depending position, the riders and figures carried therey gravitate to the free end of the standard so that they are restored into proper position for operation again when the standard has been stepped around into its upright position. As shown, hall 84- is post-Ply mounted on the thread 72 between the base 73 and the rider 74. The weight of this hall aids in causing the rider 74 to move downwardly for restoring the parts into proper position for display. It is obvious as amatter of course that the plurality of toy figures may either he all alike or all unlike, or partly like and partly unlike some of the others. It is further obvious from Fig. 1 that the plate 12 constitutes a masking device for the carrier having an observation opening 14 therein and that the display objects 82 will gravitate from one end to the other end of the standards 70 on account of the helical threads 72 thereon, at the opening 14; with an oscillating and rotating motion and will be restored to their original positions when they have been moved away from the observation open- The device which has been described in detail has been found to be satisfactory for displaying objects which are of comparatively light weight such as those shown. caused bythe sudden stopping of the carrier is not sufficient to be objectionable, and in fact, aids in initiating the downward movement of'the toy figures. However, for some purposes, such as when larger and heavier toy figures are employed, it is desirable to provide a shock absorber. Such a device. is shown in Fig. 8 in connection with which construction, the intermittent motion of the carrier 28 is produced in the manner previously described. However, the lever 48 is of somewhat different construction. It is provided with a slot 86 through which the pivot 50 passes. The upper arm of this lever is connected by a spring 46' with a pin 441- carried by the projection 42' so that this arm is normally held against the stop 58. The upper end of the lever 4.8 is extended and provided with a slot 88 through which passes a projection 90 carried by the lower endof an arm 92 whose upper end is pivoted on a pin 94 carried by the projection 42'; The arm 92 is connected by a coiled spring 96 with a pin 98 carried by the projection 42 so that the lever 4-8 is normally held in such position that the material at the lower end of the slot 86 is in engagement with the pivot 50. When the carrier 28 makes a rotativestep movement to bring a pin 34 into the recess 56 of the lever, the momentum of the carrier and objects carried thereby causes the spring 96to be stretched so that the lever has a movement in the direction of its length. the slot 86 permitting this movement. The device just described therefore acts as a shock absorber and while the carrier 28slightly over-runs its proper display position, the contraction of the spring 96 quickly restores it to its proper position.

the latter to swing under control of the spring 46 in the manner previously stated.

Fig. 9 shows a disk 100 secured to the carrier 8. This disk has a pluralty of display objects 102, 104, 106, etc., such as pictures and advertising matter printed or painted thereon. It will be understood that the carrier 28 is intermittently rotated in the manner previously described so as to bring the dis-.

a carrier, a masking device for said carrier The shock The provision of the slot 88 in the upper end of the lever permits,

adapted to gravitate from one end to the other end thereof at said observation open ing with an oscillating and rotating motion, and means whereby said display objects are restored to their original positions when they have been moved away from said observation opening.

2. A changeable display device comprising a support, a masking device for said support having an observation opening therein, a standard carried by said support, means for moving said standard toward and away from said observation opening, and a display object mounted on said standard and adapted to gravitate from one end to the other end thereof at said observation opening, said display object when moved away from said observation opening being automatically restored to its initial position for further dis play at said observation opening.

3. A changeable display device comprising a carrier, a masking device for said carrier having an observation opening therein, a standard carried by said carrier, means for moving said standard and carrier toward and away from said observation opening, and a display object mounted on said standard and adapted to gravitate from one end to the other end thereof at said observation opening, said display object when moved away from said observation opening being automatically restored to its initail position for further display at said observation opening.

4. A changeable display device comprising a carrier, a masking device for said carrier having an observation opening therein, a standard carried by said carrier, means for moving said standard and carrier toward and away from said observation opening, a helix surrounding said standard, and a display object mounted on said helix and adapted .to gravitate from one end to the other end thereof at said observation opening with a compound motion, said display object when moved away from said observation opening being automatically restored to its original position for further display at said observation opening.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afliX my signature.

I SIDNEY L. LONG.

having an observation opening therein, f

means for moving said carrier, a plurality of standards carried by said carrier, display objects mounted on said standards and. 

